Taoism Essay Research Paper The original form free essay sample

Taoism Essay, Research Paper The original signifier of Taoism is sometimes called philosophical Taoism or classical Taoism. Taoism neer even had a name until Buddhism came to China. It was nameless. Lao Tzu even states that? Tao? is merely used because it is the closest word in significance. Nothing can be said about the Tao without taking off from the significance. When Taoism eventually was acknowledged, it changed from its rigorous philosophical way to a spiritual one, with its ain priests and holy work forces. For many centuries Taoism was merely a manner of life followed by provincial, husbandman and gentleman philosopher and creative person. They reflected and mediated. They learned from the highest instructor, nature. They meditated utilizing the energy traveling through their organic structures and mapped out the roads and waies it traveled upon. Each adult male and adult female was his or her ain priest. The connexion with the Godhead or Tao was the sacred trust of each person. We will write a custom essay sample on Taoism Essay Research Paper The original form or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Taoism was said to hold been created by the male parent of Taoism, Lao Tzu, which means? Old Sage. ? Lao Tzu was born in 1321 B.C. He was the keeper of the archives at the imperial tribunals. The fable has it that he went to the West boundary line at age 80, sad because work forces were unwilling to follow the way of natural goodness. At the western boundary line, a guard named Yin Xi asked Lao Tzu to enter his instructions to him. Lao Tzu so wrote the Tao Te Ching. In Lao Tzu # 8217 ; s view things were said to make Wei or unnatural action by determining desires or yu. The procedure of larning the names called Ming used in the philosophies helped people to make up ones mind which what good and immorality, beautiful and ugly, high and low, and # 8220 ; being # 8221 ; ( yu ) and # 8220 ; non- being # 8221 ; ( Wu ) . He believed that those who seek for and follow the Tao are strong of organic structure, clear of head, and crisp of sight and hearin g. Followings of the Tao do non lade their head with anxiousnesss of the universe, and are flexible to alter. This meant that desiring and desire was unnecessary because it was portion of the Way. To abandon cognition was to abandon names, differentiations, gustatory sensations and desires. Therefore self-generated behaviour ( wu-wei ) resulted. Wu-Wei, which is a major subject in Taoism, is to make things in such a manner that it does non look like there is any attempt involved. To make this meant to be without witting idea merely like nature exists. It is allowing travel of the secular idea and action so that the Tao might come in. Subsequently in 399 B.C followed Chuang Tzu, who was labeled as the following great voice after Lao Tzu. Chuang Tzu developed even further what Lao Tzu had written approximately. He adapted what Lao Tzu taught approximately mystical acquisition and positions. Chuang Tzu? s authorship was more developed and clearly stated so Lao Tzu. He besides emphasized the topographic point worlds have in nature. He believed that people should be at peace while traveling with the universe. He thought that different emotions lead to certain actions like compassion leads to courage or humbleness leads to leading. Taoist thoughts and images inspired the Chinese to love nature and to occasional retreat to it from the attentions of the universe to rest and mend. It besides inspired an intense avowal of physical life from wellness, wellbeing, and verve, to even immortality. Taoism took a bend toward the supernatural. Some Taoists searched for # 8220 ; isles of the immortals, # 8221 ; or for herbs or chemical compounds that could guarantee immortality and thaumaturgy but Taoists were more interested in wellness and verve the hunt for immortality. Bibliography Feibleman, James K. Drugs: Interactions. New York, New American Library, 1976

Biography of Thomas Jefferson

Biography of Thomas Jefferson Free Online Research Papers Thomas Jefferson was thought of by many as one of the most important people in the early development of this great country. Jefferson is also seen as one of the founding fathers of the United States having a major influence in this nation’s early developmental progress. From childhood Jefferson was well educated and a very driven person, Jefferson’s list of accomplishments are numerous as well as his policrical background. This paper will explain the background of Thomas Jefferson, as well as his influences in shaping this country into how he thought this new country should be developed. To start the introduction of Thomas Jefferson some wonder where to start, due to that â€Å"Thomas Jefferson was a half a dozen people rolled into one, and his world was one of the most spacious that a normal man ever lived† (Weymouth, 9). Jefferson was seen as a very evasive man due to never sharing his feelings through words but it was not always this way. Thomas Jefferson was born April 2, 1742, at Shadwell, Albemarle County, Virginia. His father owned over five thousand acres in land making him a very wealthy man. His parents were both of high social classes with very high educational backgrounds, thus pushing Jefferson into a life of opportunity with the world at his feet. Jefferson explored all his options to find out what he wanted to do in life, this lead Jefferson into learning five languages and being able to read two others. His education was very important to him and his will to learn never escaped him(Beloff 10). His parents were Peter and Jane (Randolph) Jefferson, a former native of Wales. They had six daughters and two sons, of whom Thomas was the oldest (Chinard 4). When Jefferson was fourteen years old his father died. He received an exquisite education, having been kept constantly at school ever since he was five years old. In 1760 he entered William and Mary College. Williamsburg was then the seat of the Colonial court, and it was the abode of fashion and splendor(Chinard 5). At this time, Jefferson was now only seventeen, lived and had a taste for expensive and lavish things. He kept fine horses, and went to many social events yet he was diligent with his studies, and undeterred in his morals. In the second year of his college life Jefferson moved away for some unexplained reason, he discarded his old companions as well as his residency (Malone 129). It was not uncommon for Jefferson to spend fifteen hours a day studying, by doing this he attained a very high intellect, especially in the field of philosophy and languages. The two fields Jefferson mastered in Immediately after leaving college he began the study of law. For a short time he continued in the practice of his profession, as he rose rapidly he distinguished himself by his energy and acuteness as a lawyer(Chinard7). But the times called for greater action. The policy of England had awakened the spirit of resistance in the American Colonies, and the enlarged views which Jefferson had ever entertained soon led him into active political life. In 1769 he was chosen a member of the Virginia House of Burgess. Jefferson’s wide study and broad education lead him into becoming a lawyer, agronomist, musician, scientist, philosopher, and the most important an author. Over the course of his life Jefferson â€Å"wrote over sixteen thousand letters† (Declaration 1). Among his love for scripture, Jefferson also had a passion for agriculture. He planted various plants in an uninhabited area. This gave him time to become close to nature. In 1772 he married Martha Skelton, a widow and took in his partly constructed mountaintop home (Thomas Jefferson 1). Viewed as an awkward man he did not excel in public speaking, he would much rather let his pen do the talking. Jefferson’s exceptional way with words and ability to relay a clear message lead him into the position of a â€Å"silent member† of congress when he was only thirty three(Chinard 4). This began the start of Thomas Jefferson’s career and the start of his many accomplishments. It was at this time that Thomas Jefferson actually began work on the Declaration of Independence. Not only did he refer to his own â€Å"A Summary View† of the Rights of British America, and his own draft for a Virginia state constitution, but he also relied heavily on the Virginia Declaration of Rights(Malone 146). This document was drafted by George Mason, another Virginia patriot leader. It was adopted unanimously by the Virginia Convention in Williamsburg in June 1776. It is considered to be a precursor of the Declaration of Independence. It is obvious from reading it that Jefferson was heavily influenced by it when he wrote the Declaration(Malone 146). Some of the most obvious and well known accomplishments of Jefferson was his expansion of the United States’ territory and power. Perhaps the most well known accomplishment of Jefferson’s presidency was the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. For a mere $15 million Jefferson more than doubled the size of the United States and eliminated the presence of Napoleon from U.S. borders(Jefferson 1). Jefferson being very busy with the Napoleonic wars sought these lands as a way to expanding and his keen business sense lead to a great purchase for the United States. Financially Jefferson did very well slashing Army and Navy expenditures, cutting the budget, eliminating the tax on whiskey which was so unpopular in the West, yet reduced the national debt by a third(Thomas Jefferson 1). The purchase also provided the United States with the port of New Orleans which improved American commerce. Jefferson also authorized a survey of the new land known as the Louis and Clarke expedition which improved American knowledge of the newly acquired land mass. It can be argued that the Louisiana Purchase helped originate American expansion under the banner of Manifest Destiny, the belief that the United States was destined to expand from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific Ocean(Malone143). Many American settlers were enticed to follow the trail left by Louis and Clarke and make eventual claims to western territory all the way to the Pacific. Out of 44 United States Presidents, Thomas Jefferson stands out as one of the most successful through his various accomplishments in office. After the troubled administration of President John Adams, mainly due to Jefferson being sharply at odds with fellow cabinet members John Adams and Alexander Hamilton, both who he found to be to authoritarian and to quick to assume overwhelming power for the part of executive(Declaration 1), the newly established country looked towards Thomas Jefferson as a president to lead the nation in the right direction. Many Americans had grown tired of the Federalist Party and its policies after it ruled over the nation for 12 years. As a result, more Americans began to promote the Federalist’s rival party, the Democratic-Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson. As one of the major founding fathers and author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson had strong visions to lead the new nation. A year before coming into office Jefferson went to the Continental Congress with a reputation for literature, science and a happy talent of composition (Weymouth, 180) with a plan for the Declaration.was at this time that Thomas Jefferson actually began work on the Declaration of Independence. Not only did he refer to his own â€Å"A Summary View† of the Rights of British America, and his own draft for a Virginia state constitution, but he also relied heavily on the Virginia Declaration of Rights(Malone 146). This document was drafted by George Mason, another Virginia patriot leader. It was adopted unanimously by the Virginia Convention in Williamsburg in June 1776. It is considered to be a precursor of the Declaration of Independence. It is obvious from reading it that Jefferson was heavily influenced by it when he wrote the Declaratio n(Malone 146). In the end the Declaration was adopted pretty much as written by Jefferson. As a president, Jefferson managed to unify Americans while promoting democracy through Democratic-Republican principles of limited government. The composition of the United States changed during Jefferson’s administration as the nation more than doubled in size. Jefferson had several impressive diplomatic achievements by avoiding war and entangling foreign alliances during his eight years in office. Although Jefferson’s administration was not free of flaws, there is no doubt that his accomplishments in that the United States experienced peaceful political transition, greater level of democracy, territorial expansion, and a continuation of neutrality(Beloff 18). Major accomplishments of President Jefferson that are sometimes overlooked were his abilities to unify Americans and strengthen democracy, â€Å"It is Jefferson, if not Lincoln himself, who is the central figure in the history of American democracy† (Weymouth 189). One of the most remarkable events in world political history was the Revolution of 1800. For a young nation like the United States to voluntarily transfer political power from party to party without violence was truly remarkable. This could not have been done without Jefferson’s ability to unify the American people. In an effort to avoid a potential civil war, Jefferson eased much political tension when he stated in his inaugural address that, â€Å"We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists†(Beloff 14). Once in office, Jefferson sought to bring Americans together and reduce tension by acting on the requests of both parties. Although Jefferson acted on the will of his party by limiting the size of the military, number of federal jobs and repealing taxes, he also pleased Federalists by continuing the National Bank and debt payment. Jefferson improved American democracy by encouraging individual rights. In essence, Jefferson helped unify a divided, young nation and influenced American democracy by promoting individual rights and executive power(Malone 150). Another important legacy left by President Thomas Jefferson was his skilled use of diplomacy to avoid America’s unnecessary involvement in war and foreign alliances. There is no doubt that the accomplishments of President Thomas Jefferson were considerable towards the growth of the United States. His abilities to unify the American people, promote individual rights, and expand executive power have certainly left a lasting impression on the American political system. He enabled the United States to see its potential by acquiring vast amounts of territory and proving to itself that it could protect its valuable overseas shipping. Jefferson also managed to maintain U.S. neutrality and peace in a time of growing worldwide conflict. Probably none of the other founding fathers has been as often invoked as Jefferson, in such diverse and even conflicting causes (Weymouth, 229). Jefferson has become an immortal figure of American politics as his political principles such as limited government continue to influence today’s political ideals. Although he was far from perfect like any American president, the author of the Declaration of Independence deserves recognition as one of America’s more successful presidents through his lasting accomplishments while in office. After a second term as president Jefferson retired to his Monticello home where he later died on July 4, 1826. In conclusion through Thomas Jefferson’s accomplishments and his influences and decisions were essential in the development of the United States as we know it today. Through his high level of educational background, Jefferson was able to establish some of the most important things in US history. His drive as well as his passion in time of need has earned him the respect, dignity, and title of one of the United States founding fathers. His influences of early American politics as well as his ability to advocate liberty, has earned Thomas Jefferson the title one of the most important titles of one of the greatest United States presidents in all of history. WORKS CITIED Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson. 4 July 1995. Ushistory.org. 24 Nov. 2008 www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/jefferson.htm. Thomas Jefferson. Biography of Thomas Jefferson. The White House. 24 Nov. 2008 www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/tj3.html. Weymouth, Lally. Thomas Jefferson, The man, His world, His Influence. First ed. New York, NY: G.P Putnams Sons, 1973. Chinard, Gilbert. Thomas Jefferson, The Apostle of Americanism. Second ed. New York, NY: Seven Springs, 1975. Malone, Dumas. Jefferson the President. First ed. Boston, MA: Little Brown and Company, 1970. Beloff, Max. Thomas Jefferson and American democracy. First ed. London E.C.: The English Universities Press LTD: 1965 Research Papers on Biography of Thomas JeffersonThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationHip-Hop is ArtQuebec and CanadaStandardized TestingInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married Males19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraBringing Democracy to AfricaRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 Europe

Property Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Property Law - Essay Example 360,000 by raising a mortgage amount from the Solent bank. This mortgage amount was with a joint responsibility with his father. Under the provisions of the Law of Property Act 1925, beneficial owners can obtain a court order for putting the trust into effect and directing sale of the property and thereafter division of the sale proceeds. With regard to house properties, the share of the parties will in general be 50% each, due to their joint ownership of the property. However, the court could refuse to grant sale order, if the reason behind the creation of the trust persists. 3 In Midland Bank v Cooke, 4 the Court of Appeal granted a half share to the defendant in the matrimonial home. In the absence of an express agreement, the court opined that the conduct of the parties would be examined in order to determine the intended share of each party. 5 In Stack v Dowden, the House of Lords held that in disputes where the family property was in joint names and in the absence of an express declaration regarding ownership, a beneficial joint tenancy could be presumed.6 Since, the defendant had provided 65% of the amount; Stack was entitled to 35% of the proceeds of the sale.7 In Jones v Kernott, the UK Supreme Court upheld the trial court’s grant of 90% of the property’s sale proceeds to the plaintiff. ... It is left to the court to defer the sale if it were of the opinion that such sale would be contrary to the purpose for which the property had been purchased. 9 In the UK common ownership of property is not transferred automatically between the parties to a marriage. Automatic transfer takes place, only if the parties consent to place the concerned property in their joint names. Such joint ownership can be of the following categories. First, joint tenancy, wherein the survivor of the married couple automatically inherits the share of the deceased spouse. Second, tenancy in common, in which the share in the property is transferred as per the will of the deceased spouse or as per the rules of intestacy.10 As such on the death of a spouse, the remaining spouse automatically derives a portion of the deceased spouse’s estate provided the property is held jointly by them. On the satisfaction of the Spouses Legal Right Share, children and issue become entitled to a share in the prope rty, after the intestate death of a person. In Abbott v Abbott the court granted 50% of the sale proceeds to the wife, as the couple had undertaken joint liability with regard to the repayment of the mortgage on the property. In addition, this husband and wife had arranged their finances entirely in a joint manner.11 The existence of a will executed by the deceased has a significant effect on the legal right of the remaining spouse or children. However, with regard to non – marital cohabitees, there is no such automatic entitlement, unless there is a specific benefit under a will. Conclusion Since Angelina holds the property, jointly with her deceased husband, she will receive half the share of the property, after meeting obligations and

Identifying Potential Risk, Response, and Recovery Assignment

Identifying Potential Risk, Response, and Recovery - Assignment Example They are subject to a multiple number of insecurities that could prove to be very disastrous for the business to which the system belongs should it succumb to a threat. Businesses that rely on information systems have an obligation to maintain and keep it secure. As the Information Security Engineer for a videogame development company, it is compulsory that I adopt a vigilant approach to uphold my company’s information security (Godbole, 2009). Attacks, threats and vulnerabilities to the organization Hacking The organization is vulnerable to hacking. Hacking is a criminal act whereby unauthorized people with massive computer knowledge decide to illegally access the personal information on another’s information system, mostly to use for malicious acts that will harm the system’s owner. As identified, the organization’s system is not secure enough to protect itself from hackers. Should this threat not be handled the organization is at a risk of losing its mo st valuable information to anyone who does not have the business’ best interests at heart. Such information in the wrong hands could lead to the downfall of the organization without fail. Obsolescence The organization’s information system is outdated. This is a threat that needs to be addressed. In a business as competitive as the videogames one cannot afford to have information systems that are out-of-date. ... This means that the systems fail to work somehow due to various reasons. I have made an observation that once the systems crash all the information that was contained in it is lost and the organization has to commence from scratch. It does not have to happen this way at all. This is a problem that must be dealt with so as to save time. If all activities in an organization will be stopped just because one system crashed then the business will lag behind (Godbole, 2009). Poor maintenance by staff The organization’s staff are not using the information systems a required. This could be out of ignorance or simply negligence. I recently observed one staff member pour water on a computer’s keyboard. This is an outrageous show of poor maintenance. The systems need to be taken care of on the outside in order to protect the information they carry inside. Lack of maintenance could lead to a double tragedy, that is, irreparable damage to the computer systems and in turn loss of the data they hold. Theft There has been theft of information systems in the recent past o the organization. This is an attack that cannot be allowed to stand as it should be hazardous to the life of the firm. The organization should find out the source behind these threats and tackle it with immediate effect (Godbole, 2009). Strategies and controls to deal with the risks 1) Hacking Hacking can be dealt with using the strategy of risk avoidance. This means ensuring that it doesn’t occur at all. For this strategy to be enforced the organization needs to apply new methods of securing the information systems further. For instance, by creating stronger passwords for files. This will make it harder for a hacker to access whatever is

The marriage group in The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Essay

The marriage group in The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer - Essay Example Most tales began with a prologue which told of the narrator’s personal feelings and experience. These included, among other things, marriage. Following this, the story teller would relate a cautionary tale about the fickleness of the opposite sex. Two of these narrations were chosen, on from the perspective of a woman, Alice, the Wife of Bath, and one from the perspective of a male, the Merchant. The Wyves Tale of Bathe (The Wife of Bath) The Wife of Bath called herself Alyson or Alys. She considered herself an authority on marriage, having had five husbands by the time of the pilgrimage. Her story speaks of the social and legal position of women in the late 14th century. The Wife of Bath was married at twelve years of age. Alys felt that marriage was a misery. Over drinks she told the Pardoner that two of her husbands were bad, and three were good. The three good husbands were rich and old. They soon died, and their land and money became hers. Alys complained that people crit icized her for having had so many husbands. The critics would use the scriptures as their authority, stating that Jesus only attended one wedding in the gospels, and this indicated that a person only married once. Alys felt that when God told people to multiply, he did not put a limit on how many times a person could marry. She used Solomon, Abraham and Jacob as examples of men who had many wives, all at the same time, so why would it be wrong for her to have multiple husbands. At least she only had one at a time. Alys agreed that some people may prefer to remain virginal, but that was not for her. The purpose of having genitals was to have sex. Why shouldn’t she take advantage of that? Everyone has the right to make his or her own choice. However, although under Canon law, man was the master over the woman, Alys knew how to have power over the husband. She used sex as a means to control the old, rich ones, knowing if she satisfied them, they would buy her pretty things. Sex and the ability to provide her husband with heirs was the main power of women in the oppressive view of the time. Alys told how she controlled her husbands by turning their arguments against them, until the husband is convinced he is in the wrong. She felt that women were better at lying and swearing then men, and that there would always be a maid or family member to vouch for her. The wife related how oppressive she found the relationship between men and women. The scriptures were used as a means to give men the right to rule over women. She preferred to use logic. When her husband would accuse her of infidelity, she would ask him what he was doing talking to the woman who was accusing her of wrong-doing. Maybe he was the one cheating. If her husband accused her of being less attractive and outgoing than the neighbor, she told him it was because she didn’t have anything decent to wear, making it his fault for not being as good a provider. Alys scoffed at men for accusing her of hiding her true personality until after she had married them. Men argued that they had the opportunity to try out oxen, horses and household furnishings before they were bought, and they should be able to try out a wife before marriage. Only after marriage does she let her vices show. She felt that men were jealous and insecure, especially when the wife was attractive. They had her spied on, and accused her of trying to attract the attention of other men. Alys felt she couldn’

Renewable Energy in Bangladesh

Renewable Energy in Bangladesh Inleiding Being aware of the finite stock of fossil fuels and their negative impact on the environment, most countries over the world want to make use of renewable energy sources like solar energy, wind energy, bio-energy, hydropower, geothermal and ocean energy because they want to ensure energy security. The use of renewable energy has risen considerably in recent times, both in developed and in developing countries as well Bangladesh too. Bangladesh is a developing country with 154 million inhabitants. This equates to 1048 people per km ². It is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, with a population growth rate of 1,2% per year (Islam et al., 2014). In 2012, the growth rate of GDP was 6,2% (Ahmed et al., 2014). The economy of this country is dependent on agriculture and forestry. More than 80% of the population lives in rural areas (Islam et al., 2014). The rapid population growth, urbanization and industrialization creates an increasing energy consumption (Islam et al., 2014). In 2000, the energy consumption amounted to 12,7 Mtoe (million tonnes oil equivalent) and in 2011 24,2 Mtoe (figure 1). It is expected that the energy in 2020 will rise to 185%. The electricity consumption per capita is 212 kWh. Consumption is lower than in other developing countries such as India (480,5 kWh) and Pakistan (456,2 kWh). There is a link between the energy consumption per capita and the growth of GDP (Islam et al., 2014). Around 76% of the population has no access to electricity, especially in remote areas in Bangladesh (Ahmed et al., 2014). Figure 1: Final energy consumption in Bangladesh (by fuel type) (Islam et al, 2014) According to Mondal et al. (2014) the biggest contributor of electricity is natural gas (82,81%) . The contribution of other fuels, such as oil, coal, diesel and hydro energy amounts respectively 5,6%, 2,4%, 6,9% and 2,8%. But there is a great shortage of energy. Energy demand is 8350 MW, while the supply is only 6000 MW. In the future, the difference will continue to increase (Ahmed et al., 2014). In 2021, the demand for energy is going to be about 18 838 MW and 33 708 MW by 2030 (Islam et al., 2014). 98,5% of all energy comes from fossil fuels, while only 0,3% of renewable energy. However, the fossil fuel is limited. This is going to be run out in the future. There are 23 fields of natural gas and the reserve contains approximately 566336,9 million km ³. Within the next 15 years this reserve will decrease. Recently it was discovered there 2,9 billion coal, but the extraction of coal is very expensive and the production of electricity from coal in a densely populated country caused a lot of pollution. Coal gives high CO2 emissions and thus harms the environment. Exploration and exploitation of renewable energy sources can reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) and mitigate negative impacts on the environment (Ahmed et al., 2014). Renewable energy technologies (RET) Renewable energy is the ideal solution for people that live in remote areas, but also for urban residents due to the acute energy crisis (Ahmed et al., 2014). There are infinite sources of renewable energy such as biomass, wind, solar energy, hydropower. Different types of renewable energy are discussed in this paragraph. Solar energy Solar energy is widely believed to be one of most viable and efficient renewable energy resources mainly for its abundant availability. Bangladesh is an ideal place for solar energy utilization. Annual solar radiation available is more than 1900 kWh/m ². It is found that 94% of the land area in Bangladesh has such radiation which is sufficient for appropriate utilization based on available technology. Maximum radiation begins from March to April, and minimum radiation begins from December to January (Islam et al., 2014). Nearby 32,5% of the entire population has intermittent electricity access. However, a huge number of population is completely out of electricity supply, especially in the rural areas. From a sustainable view point, this scenario retards economic growth and social development of Bangladesh which is, otherwise, a densely populated developing country. Appropriate application of solar energy, as one of the renewable sources, could provide a stimulus to overcome such social and economic problems (Ahmed et al., 2014). Solar home system (SHS) achieved remarkable popularity as off-grid power generation essentially in rural areas where on-grid electricity remains unavailable and the necessary infrastructure is still in its nascent stage. SHS can be viable as a way to energy solution as well as small rural businesses development in rural areas and is contributing to social and economic benefits. Solar home system (SHS) is a decentralized photovoltaic array module connected with a rechargeable battery that can produce 20-100 Wp. Generally, SHS is applicable to low power consuming devices like television, radio, light bulbs, and others. The efficiency of SHS depends on its dimension of array and the sunlight availability. For isolated remote areas in Bangladesh, solar photovoltaic array is the most effective and efficient way for rural electrification. However, installation of such a system is not cost effective for rural mass population where majority of the population in the remote and rural areas do not have adequate access to financial support. Grameen Shakti (GS), a sister concern of Grammen Bank is now providing soft loan to the rural people. GSs effort to solar home system also contributed to socioeconomic development. It is considered as an important stimulus for sustainable development (Ahmed et al., 2014). In 2012 there are already 1,320,965 SHS. By 2015 the government wants to install 4 million SHS (Islam et al., 2014). Wind energy Wind energy potential is not encouraging, except in some coastal areas of Bangladesh. Bangladesh has a coastal belt of around 724 km. The total capacity of wind energy in Bangladesh is 235 MW. Geographically, strong south-southeast monsoon wind comes from Indian Ocean and enters the coastal areas of Bangladesh. The wind blows continuously with an average speed from 3 m/s to 6 m/s over Bangladesh from March to September. This continuous wind can be captured and converted to kinetic energy with an integrated system comprising of both mechanical and electrical components. This energy can be connected to central grid or can be used to support local electricity supply (Ahmed et al., 2014). However, taking into account wind as a potential renewable energy resource in Bangladesh, disruption occurs due to lack of suitable wind map and the relevant data required to estimate the potential of electricity generation. Global wind data and research shows that wind speed not more than 7 m/s is not viable for large scale grid connected electricity production. But in some places, measured values of wind speed aren’t present in Bangladesh (Islam et al., 2014). Biomass energy In Bangladesh, traditional biomass such agricultural residues, wood wastes and animal dung, represents respectively 46%, 34% and 20% of the energy supply. From environmental and economic sustainability viewpoint, biomass energy is an effective energy source for rural population of the country. Bangladesh is endowed with rich biomass energy with a potential electricity generation capacity of 160,93 TWh from agricultural crop residues, followed by 121,768 TWh from recoverable waste, and 29,91 TWh from fuel wood, saw dust and tree residues. There are two kind of types of biomass energy namely biogas and biofuel. Biogas is a residue from animal and municipal wastes. Technology dissemination is very poor. IDCOL (Infrastrcuture Development Company Limited) installed 22549 biogas plants. 32% of the total biogas plants are not working due to lack of appropriate maintenance and technical knowledge. By the another type of the biomass is biofuel. Bangladesh is in early stage developing biofuel. Biofuel is produced from transesterification of oil, which is derived from energy crops. It’s no energy crop being produced for biofuels at commercial scale. The biofuel will be used as gasohol in the vehicle and the price will be reduced by 20-30% compared to other transport fuel. Bangladesh imports large amount of petroleum products with high price from international market and could save millions of foreign exchange as it is used a biofuel. Environmental pollution from transportation sector would also be reduced utilizing biofuel (Islam et al., 2014). Hydropower energy Due to geographical flatness, Bangladesh has limited hydropower potential. It’s 2 hydropower plants (Kaptai and Barak River) and it generates 220 MW and 1500 MW respectively (Ahmed et al., 2014). But small-scale hydropower is popular because of the low cost, reliability and environmental benefits. It has the potential to generate 5MW electricity. Most of the small-scale hydropower potential sites were discovered in rural, remote and hill track areas which can contribute to overall socio-economic development of Bangladesh ensuring power supply for the rural population (Islam et al., 2014). Policy changes Today only 44% of the population in Bangladesh is foreseen with electricity, and on top of that Bangladesh has very limited non-renewable energy resources of its own. An energy crisis and desertification problem in rural areas are not excluded. The government aims since 2005 to provide electricity for everybody before 2020 by the plan to generate more power from coal and furnace-oil-based peaking power plants (Mondal et al., 2014; PSMP, 2005). Increasing the fossil fuels to meet the growing electricity-demand counteracts the world’s attempts to stop (or reduce) climate change. In addition to the influence on a world-scale, the increased use of fossil-fuels has an influence on local scale as well. It’s proved that the power sector in Bangladesh counts for 40% of the total CO2 emissions and as a consequence there’s an increasing need to develop and promote alternative energy sources to reduce the negative impacts on global and local scale (Mondal et al., 2014). Mor eover, too much dependency on natural gas is obviously fraught with risks for power production and for other commercial activities (Sarkar M.A.R. et al., 2003). These issues could be eliminated if renewable energy is used as a primary source of energy in rural areas.Further is rational policy dissemination important because efficient utilization of renewable energy resources is yet to assume commercial dimensions. In this section, a picture will be drawn of the already taken steps in governance on the one hand and opportunities and bottlenecks for the implementation of renewable energy technologies (RET’s) on the other hand. Bangladesh’ government released in 2002 a draft renewable policy which provided modalities, procedures, tariff regulations, fiscal and other incentives,†¦ for the implementation of so-called RET’s (REP, 2002; Mondal et al., 2010). They did foresee also guidelines for the development of an independent authority for renewable energy, namely the Renewable Energy Development Authority (REDA). With this policy, the ambition is to have around 10% renewable energy of the total demand by 2020 (Mondal et al., 2010). This year has to be taken relatively because other sources mention that this share of renewable energy would contribute to national demand in 2030 (Ahmed S. et al., 2014). In 2008, the policy was reformulated and as part of that policy it has engaged with the development partners and private sector to boost generation (Ahmed S. et al., 2014). According to REP (2008), the objectives of the Renewable Energy Policy of Bangladesh include: to harness the potential of renewable energy resources and dissemination of renewable energy technologies in rural, peri-urban and urban areas to enable, encourage and facilitate both public and private sector investment in renewable energy projects to develop sustainable energy supplies to substitute indigenous non-renewable energy supplies. Although REDA was the sole authority administering all kinds of activities that could be related to energy – both rural and renewable – government decided to establish a new unit for fostering the use of renewable energy for power generation (Mondal et al., 2014). This authority consists of representatives of a large variety of stakeholders, including business community, academics and/or representatives from Bangladesh solar energy society, NGOs, financial institutions as well as implementing agencies (Mondal et al., 2014) and had to take following initiatives to implement the objectives in the policies. It had to take its responsibility concerning coordination, planning, promoting awareness, supporting the establishment of small and medium renewable energy enterprises and service providers, providing financial support in research and soliciting of grid connected renewable energy projects. The authority had to determine the priorities for the renewable technology development. SEDA will support capacity building, human resource and market development. Investments has to be expanded. Microcredit support is established to promote the purchase of renewable energy equipment and private sector participation and joint venture programs will be encouraged. In a way for example, for solar house systems – the most important source of renewable energy for the moment – three different financial systems are available today. On the one hand one can opt for the fee-for-service option. The installation is still owned by Rural Electrification Board (REB) and the users pay a monthly fee for the services. The second option consists the credit program of Grameen Shakti – a not-for-profit company founded to promote and supply renewable energy technology at an affordable rate to rural households of Bangladesh (Right Livelihood Award Foundation Archive, 2007). – where customers pay 50% down payment and the other 50% has to be paid over a long period (varying from 6 months to several years). Regulatory policies to distribute renewable energy has to be implemented Further, Bangladesh became a member of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) – the only inter-governmental agency working exclusively on renewable energy – to reinforce international cooperation. As mentioned before, Bangladesh is working to provide more energy to its people, in order to accelerate economic growth, poverty reduction, and social development. German companies are supporting these efforts through KfW Entwicklungsbank and the Gesellschaft fà ¼r Internationale Zusammenarbeit (German Embassy Dhaka, 2015). Renewable energy and energy efficiency is a priority area of Bangladeshi-German development cooperation. Finally, it’s important to recognize the importance of awareness and dissemination programs. When people lack information and awareness, government can do as much work as now, they can establish thousands of institutions to stimulate the use of renewable energy, but people won’t (or cannot) make use of it. There is one example where government wanted to implement bio gas plant into rural houses, but they didn’t involve the households in the project and as a consequence, more than 50% of the installations were not working because people were not able to maintain and/or repair the bio gas plants. Considering this fact, a lot of organizations such as Grameen Shakti, REB,†¦ implement this in there guidelines as well (Mondal et al., 2014). Conclusion Energy demand will continue to increase exponentially because of population growth. Since history, economic growth can be coupled closely with energy consumption and production. According to Hassan A. et al. (2012) energy can be seen as a sensible approximation to assume that energy use/capita will increase with GDP/capita. The relationship between energy access and social, economic, environmental,†¦ issues is relevant. Being aware of the finite stock of fossil fuels and their negative impact on the environment on both a global and a local scale and health of the citizens, most countries, as well Bangladesh want to stimulate the use of renewable energy sources. Therefore, the importance of government as well as private organizations in the process has to be recognized. Subsidizing and supporting private-public Research Development partnerships can make renewable energy projects a successful story. Those endeavors manifest Bangladeshs commitment towards development of renewable energy although Bangladesh cannot make use of all renewable sources such as solar energy, wind energy, bio-energy, hydropower, geothermal and ocean energy equally, because of morphological and other natural characteristics. New solutions to solve the renewable energy crisis in Bangladesh so by governance help it’s possible to promote renewable energy which is more advisable than diverting internal capital to import refined oil from foreign countries (Ahmed S. et al., 2014). Nevertheless, the promotion of renewable energy in Bangladesh is still in an early stage and new projects have to take not only policies into account, but also the people in Bangladesh itself. They need to make use of it, they need to have the knowledge to make use of new installations and they have to repair it. The local demand and income generation opportunities should be the starting point of the implementation of RETs and then, after all, renewable energy in Bangladesh can be a successful story of whi ch a lot of other countries can learn a lot. References Ahmed, S., Islam, M. T., Karim, M. A., Karim, N. M. (2014). Exploitation of renewable energy for sustainable development and overcoming power crisis in Bangladesh.Renewable Energy,72, 223-235. The Press Section (2015). Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. Accessed on 5th of May 2015 on http://www.dhaka.diplo.de/Vertretung/dhaka/en/07/Priority/Energie__Seite.html Islam, M. T., Shahir, S. A., Uddin, T. I., Saifullah, A. Z. A. (2014). Current energy scenario and future prospect of renewable energy in Bangladesh.Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,39, 1074-1088. Mondal, M. A. H., Denich, M., Mezher, T. (2014). Deployment of renewable energy technologies in Bangladesh: Long-term policy implications in power sector.Energy Strategy Reviews,2(3), 307-312. REP (2002). Renewable Energy Policy(Draft). Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Right Livelihood Award Foundation Archive (2007). Grameen Shakti (Bangladesh). Accessed on 4th of May 2015 on http://www.rightlivelihood.org/grameen_shakti.html Sarkar, M. A. R., Ehsan, M., Islam, M. A. (2003). Issues relating to energy conservation and renewable energy in Bangladesh.Energy for Sustainable Development,7(2), 77-87. PSMP, 2005. Power sector master plan update, Power Cell, Power Division. Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Great Zimbabwe :: essays research papers

GREAT ZIMBABWE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This article which I have chosen to read, is about a ruined city of southeast Zimbabwe south of Harare. Great Zimbabwe is an ancient city on the plateau in sub-Saharan Africa. Great Zimbabwe was supposedly a city that controlled much trade and culture of southern Africa during the 12th and 17th centuries because it was stationed on the shortest route between the northern gold fields, and the Indian Ocean. Archaeologists believed that this masterful stonework was built somewhere around 1100 and 1600 A.D. Great Zimbabwe covers 1,779 acres and is made up of 3 main structures. The first one is the Hill Complex; Hill Complex is the oldest part of the site. The hill was approximately 262 feet high. This enables inhabitants to view enemies from up the hill. Below the Hill Complex is the Great Enclosure, or Elliptical Building. The most dazzling structures of Great Zimbabwe are found here. It’s thought to have been the royal palace at that time. Between these two large structures is the Valley Ruins. The youngest walls are found here. Some archaeologists deemed that it might have been the area’s control access, for that the wall enables people to walk in single file only. Great Zimbabwe has been designed to change its periphery as the city’s population grew due to the fact that it wasn’t constructed around a central plan. Despite that the size has made Great Zimbabwe remarkable, another main factor is its stonework. Many of the structures were made of blocks cut from granite. The city’s name comes from the Shona term dzimbabwe, meaning â€Å" houses of stone.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  And, like may other ancient cities, Great Zimbabwe has been concealed by legend. Many people told myths about Great Zimbabwe. But, it wasn’t until the late 1800s when archaeological record became severely damaged an almost not decodable; when Europeans were attracted by the myth of abundant gold from King Solomon’s mines found in the Great Zimbabwe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first European to arrive to Great Zimbabwe was a German explorer named Karl Mauch, in 1871. It was Mauch’s friend, Adam Render, who was also German and was living in the tribe of Chief Pika, that has lead him to Great Zimbabwe. When Mauch first saw the ruins, he abruptly concluded that Great Zimbabwe wasn’t erected by Africans. He felt that the handiwork was too delicate and the people who constructed this showed they were way too civilized to have been the work of Africans.

Dancers, Costumes and Movement Content Essay

Costume: The costume throughout Flesh and Blood is a very important attribute to the piece. All seven of the female dancers wear the same costume in each of the five sections therefore this shows that the costume that Lea Anderson chose was relevant to the themes within the piece all the way through. The costumes are of a medieval style, we know this from the design of the dress as they have square necks and tight fitting wrist length sleeves much like the dresses that were worn in that time period. The dresses reach ankle length on each of the dances and have a fitted torso with a dropped v-waist which then falls into a slightly gathered, loose material lower half which flows down from the waist to the ankle. In this piece I believe it is important for the dresses to be fitted on the arms and torso area as these are the main areas of which are used in the contact work such as lifts- and it then makes it easier to perform these moves as dancers can get a better grip on each other. There are also many intricate arm and hand movements where dancers have to intertwine with each other- therefore the tight fitting arms ensure that the moves can be performed with clarity and precision. The material of the dresses is particularly specific to the underlying storyline of Joan of Arc, as it is a metallic and shiny stretchy silver fabric. This infers the idea of the dresses symbolising armour, which is relevant to the battles that Joan of Arc had to fight. The masculine armour like fabric then contrasts against the feminine style of dress, again backing up the important theme of Joan of Arc throughout the piece. The shiny material also shimmers in the light and emphasises movements and enhances angles that the dancers perform, whether they are big or small moves which then makes developing motifs clearer to see. The dancers have bare feet in each section of the dance, I believe this adds a sense of vulnerability to the hard faced characters and shows that no matter how determined Joan of Arc was she, and also the characters within this dance all have a weak spot. The dresses that the dancers wear also have calf length, fitted grey leggings underneath which we see in section two- and also work to highlight and emphasize movement. I also believe it was important for the dancers to wear leggings as section two has a lot of floor  work involved so it is practical to have these underneath the dresses. Make-up and hair are also important aspects of the costume within this piece and they highlight areas of intricate movement. This is shown in the Cathedral in section 2 of the dance where small eye movements upwards, then to the left are used. This move is simple but is an important reoccurring motif which could symbolise looking up to god- and therefore needs to stand out, which is done through the use of dark eye makeup that contrasts against the dancers pale faces. The red lipstick worn throughout shows the dancers are still feminine even though they have to wear a masculine army colour, and have a short style of hair which is what Joan of Arc had to do in order to disguise herself. The red lipstick symbolises danger and passion and also shows that even though they are pretending to be males- they are still strong female characters for sticking up for what they believe in. Dancers: All of the dancers look on average between the ages of 25 to 35 and are all female. I believe this shows a strong sense of unity within the piece to symbolise the fact that they are part of an army and also makes them all equal to each other. This is important as it shows that the piece is thematic- rather than narrative with main characters. Due to the style of the dance, I believe the dancers will of had to have had training in ballet and contemporary and be able to perform in confined spaces such as the black box theatre setting which is used and be adaptable for the site specific places that they had to perform. Another key aspect of the performance is that the dancers are very precise in the unison sections. This is effective as it heightens smaller movements such as the tapping of the feet in the cathedral setting in section 2. A way that the dancers could have done this is through using specific counts in the music and keeping to a rhythm. Due to their being a lot of minimal eye movement in unison within the routine- also shown in the black box studio in section 5 when the dancers look up as if to heaven, it is important that the dancers were aware of their focus points so that their movements were precise and equal to each other, which is something that is important throughout this piece. Movements: Section 1: The movement in section one is very contained and small. It is a duet between two of the dancers and involves using a lot or inticate armwork where they have to weavein and out of each other. This could symbolise that the battle Joan of Arc had to face was a constant struggle. This concept is also shown and the first female dancer in this section looks as though she is being dominated and controlled by the second femal character who is stood behind her throughout- almost overlooking all of her actions and having imput into what she does. This is shown as a movement when dancer two pushes dancer one down to the floor to continue her movements on a lower level. This makes dancer two look more superior and therefore gives off the impression she is symbolic of the males telling Joan of Arc she wasn’t allowed to fight. Section 2: Section two involves all 7 of the female dancers and is set in a black box studio. The floor work in this section such as the repeat motif which is shown also in section five where the dancers lay on their back with their feet flat to the floor and their knees bent on and angle with their arms by their side as they push their legs straight out to move backwards gives off an impression that they are symbolising beetles and other insects. Thesharp and angled movements give off imagery as if they are symbolising being bugs- which links to the heaven and hell paintings by the artist Bosch. Because much of this section is on the floor it is symbolic of Hell being present- and is where most people believed Joan of Arc went after her burning at the stake. The calf length leggings and bare feet that the dancers are wearing can also be seen in this scuttling back movement and highlight the angles of the legs- as is also done with the tight fitting sleeves on the arms. Section 3: This section is set inside of a Cathedral and shows 3 of the dancer standing in the alter and the other 4 laid in the knave. This symbolises the communication that Joan of Arc is said to have had with God who told her to  battle with the men, this is shown through intricate eye movement from the dancers standing in the alter as the first thing they do it look upward to heaven, to the left as if to purgatory and then downwards as if to hell. Use of a head tilt to the right when looking to the left is also used which could symbolise shock in hearing or seeing something. The dancers laid on the floor are symbolic of the dreams that Joan of Arc is said to of had and repeat motifs such as the rolling of the fingers that tap onto the floor suggest that her nightmares and dreams were reoccurring and made her react immediately- even before she woke up and decided that she wanted to go into battle. The dynamics in this section are a lot slower then any other andthe dancers are all individuals which suggests that when Joan of Arc visited the church she was distanced from everyone else and felt more alone and vulnerable. Section 4: Section 4 is set outside of the cathedral and is an adapted version of section 1, as it has 2 unison duets- one further forward than the other. This section is also very contact based and manipulative which gives an indication of the relationship that the dancers have with each other. The ‘crusifix’ arm movement is a repeat motif throughout and is shown is section 2 when the dancers sit up from the floor, as if god is helping them progress and become better people. It is also shown in section 4 when the dancers are lifted by the dominating dancers, and their feet are left loosely flailing beneath them while their arms lower so their palms are flat facing downwards. This motif could symbolise that god is now taking Joan of Arcs soul to Heaven as she is burnt at the stake. The shaking of the feet indicates that many people believed she would go to Hell- which is why the arms are lowered from the crucifix movement as this is less holy and God wouldn’t have wanted tha t for the female who stood up for herself.

Private finance initiative

PFI PrinciplesThe PFI, known as Private Finance Initiative, is a type of Public Private Partnership procurance method implemented in UK building industry in 1992. ( Chinyio and Gameson, 2009 ) As an of import portion of Government ‘s scheme for presenting high quality populace services, Private Finance Initiative requires the private financers to set its ain capital at hazard to present clear defined public undertakings for a long term period, guaranting the quality of the work delivered within the clip and budget. ( HM Treasury, 2009 ) OGC ( 2007, p.6 ) defined PFI as â€Å" Where the public sector contracts to buy quality services, with defined end products from the private sector on long term footing, and including maintaining or building the necessary substructure so as to take advantage of private direction accomplishments incentivised by holding private finance at hazard. † PFI has now covered most of public services such as wellness, instruction, defense mechanism, prisons and transits. Typically, PFI procurance involves undertaking the full undertaking bundle including design, building, finance, operation and care, to a group of private companies which consists of a reasonably skilled building house and a installation direction house, for a long period of 20 – 30 old ages. The authorities besides provides specifications bespeaking the services and criterions it requests, and leave the control right of design and building and operation entirely to the private group for the contract period. ( Bennett and Iossa, 2006 ) It is merely recommended for undertakings to take PFI path when the capital cost is likely to transcend & amp ; lb ; 20m. ( OGC, 2007 ) Bennett and Iossa ( 2009 ) say that it ‘s more likely to utilize PFI procurance if the outwardness is positive and the invention on residuary value is big.AdvantagesLong-run RelationshipPFI is non merely concentrating on the value for money, it besides stressed the development of long term relationship between public sector and private sector. Robinson and Scott ( 2009 ) indicates that long-run relationships in PFI undertakings can supply a powerful inducement in order to larn from each other, portion the cognition, innovate and continuously better the public presentation between private sector and public sector in project bringing. Partnering is a important key of PFI procurance, the good public presentation of which will take to the success of the undertaking. Spackman ( 2002, pp.283-301 ) addresses â€Å" Success can be achieved merely if the public authorization and the contractor attack the undertaking in a spirit of partnership, humor apprehension of each other ‘s concern and a common vision of how best they can work together. †Public SavingPFI/PPP procurance has the possible to cut down the cost, and present better quality work with the same cost in o ther procurances. ( Bing and Akintoye, 2003 ) Research shows that the authorities ‘s investing utilizing PFI procurance in the UK is now about 10-14 % in its entire investing. ( Grimsey and Lewis, 2005 ) Local governments are acute to utilize PFI to present a undertaking via partnership as they do non necessitate to borrow money from the Bankss. Spackman ( 2002 ) finds the authorities constrains its adoption because it concerns about future revenue enhancement, economic demand, costs of the adoption, and flexibleness reacting to future economic system dazes. The involvement cost of public debit in UK is at 2-2.5 per centum, nevertheless for the cost of private 1 is merely approximately 1 per centum. ( Spackman, 2002 ) Anon ( 2009, p.3 ) declares that â€Å" In the UK, deficiency of hard currency is coercing the authorities to look at utilizing PPPs for more loosely. † The economy for the authorities is non merely from the adoption revenue enhancement facet, but besides in entire value of the undertakings compared with traditional procurance. Parker and Hartley, 2003 ( in Grimsey and Lewis, 2005 ) claim that PPP contracts for UK defense mechanism services save cost scope from 5-40 per centum compared traditional public procurance.Private Net incomeOne of the benefits for private sectors to take PFI is that under the long term ownership, they can derive incomes and net incomes under their direction and operation, or exchange benefits with the local governments. Carrillo at EL. ( 2008 ) indentifies that one of the cardinal drivers for the motive of the PFI is the steady and long term income watercourse and higher returns and profitableness. Spackman ( 2002, pp.283-301 ) besides mentions â€Å" it ‘s easier to increase charges to run into a contract with a private operator than by voting in local or national authorities, and private moneymans might see income from users as a less hazardous beginning of gross. †Better Management SkillsAs p rivate financers are more capable for direction in concern in assorted Fieldss, the authorities believes that the private sector has a better function to offer project direction accomplishments, advanced design and installation and hazard direction. ( Carrillo at el. , 2008 ) Spackman ( 2002 ) stresses that the monitoring force per unit areas on contractors from private sectors may be stronger than those from the populace sector which is taking to a quality work.Long Term ContractIn PFI, contractors are tied into a long-run committedness, so that it reduces that a contractor can walk off during the undertaking if no sufficient support is in topographic point. Even though contracts might curtail this from go oning, but it is hard to plan and enforce wide articles and clauses in the contract for a long contractual period. ( Spackman, 2002 )Hazard TransportationHazard transportation is besides an of import component for presenting a good PFI undertaking. Carrillo at EL. ( 2008 ) claim that PFI will cut down the hazard degree carried by the authorities and reassign it to the contractors. Grimsey and Lewis ( 2005, pp.345-378 ) concludes that â€Å" The transferred hazard is frequently a cardinal determiner of value for money in PPPs, and one that may necessitate to be updated as dialogues processed, to let for fluctuations in hazard allotment. † Apart from public procurance cost hazard, there are besides other hazards such as site usage, site operation and entree, edifice criterions, operations and direction, fiscal conditions, cares and services, residuary value and gross etc. ( Grimsey and Lewis, 2005 ) Those hazards can all be considered and transferred to private side. In UK, there is a long list of samples for public funded undertakings being delayed or finished with over budget. Such hazards being transferred from public sector to private sector through a PPP path is considered to be adding value for money for public undertaking, as private sector will entirely pull off the undertaking cost, clip and quality. ( Grimsey and Lewis, 2005 )Less Construction TimePFI is considered to be one of the procurances which can present undertaking under or on clip. MacDonald, 2002 ( in Grimsey and Lewis, 2005 ) reviewed 50 big UK public procurance undertakings in the past 20 old ages, and found 11 were utilizing PFI/PPP, norm of which were completed under-time. HM Treasury, 2003b ( in Grimsey and Lewis, 2005 ) reviewed 61 PFI undertakings, 89 per centum of which were completed under or on clip. Compared with traditional procured undertakings, 30 per centum of which delivered on clip, PFI undertakings could be completed on clip with a 76 per centum. ( UK National Audit Office, 2003, in Grimsey and Lewis, 2005 )Delivery against BudgetPFI is besides considered to be one of the procurances which can present undertaking under or on budget. HM Treasury, 2003b ( in Grimsey and Lewis, 2005 ) reviewed 61 PFI undertakings, all of which were all finished within the budget. Compared with traditional procured undertakings finished with 27 per centum on budget, PFI undertakings completed on budget with a 78 per centum. ( UK National Audit Office, 2003, in Grimsey and Lewis, 2005 )Innovation ApproachPFI strategies allow the private bidders to research their appetency to develop creational and alone undertakings which can besides run into the needed criterions from the authorities. ( Bing and Akintoye, 2003 ) When the undertaking is under the ownership of public sector, renegotiation between the private moneymans and the public clients must be carried out before the invention is applied. However, when the undertaking is the ownership of private sector, following authorities ‘s specifications, private moneymans has ain power and freedom to implement an advanced attack to run into its ain demands. ( Bennett and Iossa, 2006 )DisadvantagesTime TakingResearch shows that most providers complain that during the procurance, the PFI procedu re takes excessively long for direction determinations. ( Spackman, 2002 ) Li ( in Bing et al. , 2005a, pp.25-35 ) claims that the most negative factor associated with PFI/PPP procurance is â€Å" a batch of direction clip spent in the contract dealing, length holds in dialogue and high engagement cost † . Furthermore, Carrillo at EL. ( 2008, pp.138-145 ) province that PFI undertakings are complex than traditional procurance taking longer lead-in clip before the start of the building. It besides adds â€Å" It is unsustainable for a private company to hold staff involved on a undertaking for a 5 old ages period without a positive result † .Hazard AllotmentIt is an advantage for public sector that their hazards during PFI have been allocated off to private subdivisions. However, it would be a defect for private bidders to transport the hazards someway. OGC ( 2007, p.10 ) indicates that: â€Å" building undertakings are undertaken by the private sector, which are incent ivised by holding private finance at hazard. †High CostHarmonizing to research from Bing et Al. ( 2005b ) , PPP/PFI procurance has jobs such as high stamp cost, complicated dialogue, invention cost restrains and conflicting in aims between stakeholders. Carrillo at EL. ( 2008 ) besides find complain from both of client and contractors that the costs for the command, design and building are higher than the traditional procurances.Lack of ExpertnessThere are still many public professionals non experienced with PFI as it is so complex to get by with. Carrillo at EL. ( 2008 ) indicates that deficiency of expertness in public sector in footings of experience is one of the issues for PFI procedure. It adds further that the deficiency of expertness has negative impacts on the PFI undertakings, and the local governments who are limited with the experience are besides fighting to maintain up the private spouses, which influences the partnering development.Government InfluenceThe author ities is someway bombarded that it is seeking to demo positive sides of PFI every bit much as it can in order to promote execution of PFI. The research and surveies carried out so far by the authorities have been utilizing a limited sum of undertakings with certain focal point. It is recommended to name for more independent and 3rd party surveies for a broad scope of undertaking research and roll up feedback from the clients in all types of undertakings to analysis the PFI public presentation. ( Carrillo at el. , 2008 )Procurement ComparisonIn order to secure the undertaking of residential development for Wulfruna University in UK, PFI and Design and Build are taken into history for the undertaking procurance. Comparison and analysis are carried out as following.Design & A ; BuildDesign & A ; Build is one of the popular procurance methods implemented in the building industry. Since April 2000, D & A ; B has been nominated as one of the procurement recommendations along with PFI and Prime Contracting by the authorities organic structure. ( OGC, 2007 ) The basic rule of D & A ; B procurance is, as fig.1 shown, the client sets up the demands and criterions, and so send on them to the D & A ; B contractor for the bringing of the work. There is ever possible option for client to confer with other design professionals for initial inventions and design constructs. Once, the client is contracted with the D & A ; B contractor, its duty of design engagement is wholly reduced. Risks displacements to the D & A ; B undertaking squad, dwelling of interior decorators, providers and subcontractors, who will take full duty to transport out the design and building of the undertakings. ( OGC, 2007 )Brief AnalysisWith the purpose of analysis the brief, following cardinal points have been indentified:Existing 12,500 pupils with 800 hall of abode and 450 on proposalExisting 65 % males and 60 % full timersProposed 450 bed hall of abodeProposed edifice with comprised different types of adjustmentProposed edifice with a modern criterionProposed edifice to engage out to tourers or public members during vacationsAnalysis:The current pupil figure is 12, 500, and full clip pupil is about 7,500. But the figure of the halls is merely 1,250 ( including the 1 on proposal ) . This figure is merely approximately 16.7 % of the current full clip pupil figure, if 1,2500 suites are wholly counted as individual units. There is a possibility of future development of more student halls of abode.If current full clip pupil figure is about 7,500 who need pupil adjustment, there could be about 4,875 male pupils. It is common that the care and cleansing for the suites rented out for male pupils are more likely harder and hard than the 1s for female pupils. So that the proposed edifice should be quality ensured with good care strategy in topographic point.450 bed hall of abode with modern criterion and assorted types of suites could increase the undertaking cost, and it is likely to o ver the & A ; lb ; 20m bound. Such a figure of pupil ‘s adjustment besides needs a good direction and disposal.The demand of different types of adjustment might affect fluctuation during design phase of the undertaking.A modern criterion might affect client into the design for its appetency of invention attack and criterion.Renting out tourers and other public members could increase excess income for the proprietor. Good direction and operation are required from experience direction houses to supply professional services.PFI versus Design & A ; BuildUndertaking TimeIt is clearly indentified in the old subdivision that the bulk of PFI undertaking delivered under or on clip. D & A ; B comes with 2 options for viing undertakings usually. One is fixed monetary value undertaking ; hence, the undertaking will be delivered decidedly within the budget or no excess costs for the clients if it ‘s over. But the clip of the undertaking is unsure. The other option is fixed clip under taking, which can vouch the undertaking clip, but the cost of the work could be more than what clients expects. Therefore, in footings of undertaking clip, both PFI and D & A ; B are all suited for the undertaking.Undertaking CostPFI is considered to be cost efficient bringing, and it ever meets the budget or even under the budget. But it may be more for the command cost for the contractors. D & A ; B can use fixed monetary value option so that both procurement methods can run into the demand of cost even though the cost demand is non clear in this brief. However, and once more, the clip will non be guaranteed.Undertaking QualityDue to PFI is involved a long term contract for the contractor and private moneymans, it guarantee the quality and care of the undertaking. However, D & A ; B is someway has more opportunity to present a less choice work depending on the morale and motive of the contractor, contractor might cut down the quality of the work in footings of stuff or skilled lab ors etc to salvage a net income for its ain. Harmonizing to the analysis B, PFI is more favorable for the quality work in this undertaking.Client ‘s EngagementWhen the private moneyman claims the ownership, engagement of design is more likely to go on in order to input invention attack to accomplish the appetency of moneyman ‘s ain. Therefore fluctuation is allowed to happen within the PFI. However, D & A ; B contractor procedure the undertaking from design to building, there is non involvement for the client. Any fluctuation for the undertaking will take an excess fee to be implemented by the contractor. Harmonizing to the brief analysis vitamin D and vitamin E, PFI is decidedly better for D & A ; B in this instance.Hazard AllotmentIn PFI, hazards will be transferred to the private moneyman for the development. In D & A ; B, client merely have a individual contractual nexus with the contractor, shown as in fig. 1. The hazard the client carried is small and passes most o f it to the contractor.Undertaking NaturePFI procurance is suited for complex undertaking, in which the undertaking cost is more than & A ; lb ; 20m harmonizing to the debut from OGC. D & A ; B, nevertheless, is besides suited for the complex undertaking. As in the brief analysis degree Celsius, it indicates complex types of adjustment demand, both PFI and D & A ; B can secure this undertaking.Partnering ApproachIt is no uncertainty that PFI is the merely one procurance which required partnering for undertaking compared with D & A ; B. Good partnering can take to exchange of acquisition, cognition sharing and betterment of bringing. In the brief analysis a, there is a possible development of pupil halls in the hereafter if the figure of pupils supports increasing. Good partnering and relationship are the keys for quality bringing. PFI is so better than D & A ; B to be selected.Management Operation & A ; MaintenancePFI is a long term contractual pattern which involves design, buildin g, direction, operation and care for a period of 20 to 30 old ages. Private sector sometimes has better direction accomplishments than public sector. Analysis degree Fahrenheit stresses the demand of good Management and Operation, and besides analysis B once more claims the importance of care. PFI, hence, is one time once more the lone option for this demand contrasted with D & A ; BChoice RecommendationHarmonizing to HM Treasury ‘s Central Unit on Purchasing, 1992 ( in Masterman, J.W.E. , 2002 ) , choice of an appropriate procurance method can be achieved following the undermentioned stairss:Reappraisal of contract schemeAnalysisOptionsChoice of best schemeExecutionThe papers suggests clients or undertaking directors to hit how each procurance method meet the demand of the aims in assorted facets, in which manner the rating of the procurance is carried out. ( Masterman, J.W.E. , 2002 ) As fig. 2 shown, each criterion standard has its ain demand ‘s comparative weighting scope from 1 to 4. A satisfaction mark scope from 1 to10 should so be given to the procurance fiting with the standard standards. After the marking, a computation should be done by utilizing the procurance mark on one of the standards multiplied by the deliberation for the matched standards. Then add up all the consequences to acquire a entire mark. For case, in fig. 2, the underlined figures show the timing weighing for the undertaking and traditional procurance ‘s mark on this facet for the undertaking, so it should be calculated as: 4 X 4 = 16, and 16 is the entire mark for the traditional procurance ‘s public presentation on timing. Then add the remainder scores for fluctuation, undertaking nature etc. The more the mark is, the more suited the procurance will be. It is recommended that the client, the Wulfruna University, should foremost analysis and place the importance of each aim for the full undertaking, and supply the graduated table weighing on the object standards harmonizing to the importance degree. Then follow the sample shown above to name common procurance methods and give a mark to each one. In the terminal, to take the most scored procurance for the pupil hall of abode undertaking. However, there are besides other types of choice, but the chief rules are all similar to each other.DecisionIn this study, it has reviewed PFI procurance. The reappraisal has recognized PFI can supply quality undertaking within the clip and budget graduated table, freedom of invention, long term relationship, hazard transportation from public sector to private sector etc, but has besides underlined some drawbacks such as long determination devising, high command cost and deficiency of experience for both side etc. Meanwhile, it has compared two chosen procurance types PFI and Design & A ; Build, both of which are recommended by the authorities organic structure. Harmonizing to the brief analysis, it has listed some cardinal points and demands for the undertakings and comparing against each demand between PFI and D & A ; B are carried out. It is clearly that PFI can supply more to run into the demand of the undertaking brief. Furthermore, a recommendation for procurement choice is besides provided with an illustration of how the procurance is selected is besides presented. The recommendation stressed the importance of the analysis and designation of of import demand of the aims and criterions for the undertaking.MentionsAnon ( 2009 ) The large hiccup.Public Private Finance [ online ] . February 2009:3. P.3 [ accessed on 25th November 2009 ] Available from: Business Source Premier, EBSChost. ISSN 17420334.Bennett, J. and Iossa, E. ( 2006 ) Building and managing installations for public services. Journal of Public Economics, 90 ( 1 0-11 ) , pp.2143-2160.Bing, L. and Akintoye, A. ( 2003 ) An Overview of Public-Private Partnership. in Akintoye, A. , Beck, M. and Hardcastel, C. ( explosive detection systems. ) Public-Private Partnership Managing Risks and Opportunities. Oxford: Blackwell Science Ltd. pp.3-24.Bing, L. , Akintoye, A. , Edwards, P. J. and Hardcastle, C. ( 2005a ) The allotment of hazard in PPP/PFI building undertakings in the UK. International Journal of Project Management, 23 ( 1 ) , pp.25-35.Bing, L. , Akintoye, A. , Edwards, P. J. and Hardcastle, C. ( 2005b ) Critical success factors for PPP/PFI undertakings in the UK building industry. Construction Management and Economics, 23 ( 5 ) , pp.459-471.Carrillo, P. , Robinson, H. , Foale, P. , Anumba, C. and Bouchlaghem, D. ( 2008 ) Engagement, Barriers, and Opportunities in PFI: The United Kingdom Experience. Journal of Management in Engineering, 24 ( 3 ) , pp.138-145.Cartlidge, D. ( 2006 ) Public Private Partnerships in Construction. Abingdon: Taylor & A ; Francis Group.Chinyio, E. and Gameson, Rod. ( 2009 ) Private Finance Initiative in Use. in Akintoye, A. and Beck, M. ( explosive detection systems. ) Policy, Finance & A ; Management for Public- Private Partnerships. Chichester: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, pp.3-26.Grimsey, D. and Lewis, M. K. ( 2005 ) Are Public Private Partnerships value for money? : Measuring alternate attacks and comparing academic and practitioner positions. Accounting Forum, 29 ( 4 ) , pp.345-378.HM Treasury ( 2009 ) Public Private Partnerships [ online ] . [ accessed on 24th November 2009 ] . Available at: & A ; lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/ppp_index.htm & gt ;Masterman, J.W.E. ( 2002 ) An illustration of contract scheme ( procurement system ) choice. Introduction to Building Procurement Systems. 2nd ed. , New York: Jack W E Masterman. P.175Masterman, J.W.E. ( 2002 ) Introduction to Building Procurement Systems. 2nd ed. , New York: Jack W E Masterman.Morledge, R. , Smith, A. and Kashiwagi, D.T. ( 2006 ) Building Procurement. 1st ed. , Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.Morledge, R. , Smith, A. and Kashiwagi, D.T. ( 2006 ) Design and Build. Building Procurement. 1st ed. , Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. p. 118.OGC ( 2007 ) 06 Procurement and Contract Strategies [ online ] . [ accessed on 24th November 2009 ] . Available at: & A ; lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.ogc.gov.uk/documents/CP0066AEGuide6.pdf & gt ;Robinson, H. S. and Scott, J. ( 2009 ) Service bringing and public presentation monitoring in PFI/PPP undertakings. Construction Management and Economics, 27 ( 2 ) , pp.181-197.Spackman, M. ( 2002 ) Public-private partnerships: lessons from the British attack. Economic Systems, 26 ( 3 ) , pp.283-301.

The Problem With Feudalism

The Problem With Feudalism Medieval historians arent generally bothered by words. In fact, the intrepid medievalist is always ready to leap into the rough-and-tumble milieu of Old English word origins, medieval French literature, and Latin Church documents. Icelandic Sagas hold no terror for the medieval scholar! Next to these challenges, the esoteric terminology of medieval studies is mundane, and no threat to the historian of the Middle Ages. But theres one word that has become the bane of medievalists everywhere. Use it in discussing medieval life and society, and the average medieval historian will screw up his face in revulsion. There might be some sighs, some head shaking, and perhaps even some hands thrown in the air. What is this word that has the power to annoy, disgust, and even upset the ordinarily cool and collected medievalist? Feudalism. Every student of the Middle Ages is at least somewhat familiar with feudalism. The term is usually defined as follows: Feudalism was the dominant form of political organization in medieval Europe. It was a hierarchical system of social relationships wherein a noble lord granted land known as a fief to a free man, who in turn swore fealty to the lord as his vassal and agreed to provide military and other services. A vassal could also be a lord, granting portions of the land he held to other free vassals; this was known as subinfeudation, and often led all the way up to the king. The land granted to each vassal was inhabited by serfs who worked the land for him, providing him with income to support his military endeavors; in turn, the vassal would protect the serfs from attack and invasion. Of course, this is an extremely simplified definition, and there are many exceptions and caveats that go along with this model of medieval society, but the same could be said of any model applied to a historical period. Generally, it is fair to say that this is the explanation for feudalism youll find in most history textbooks of the 20th century, and it is very close to every dictionary definition available. The problem? Virtually none of it is accurate. Feudalism  was  not the dominant form of political organization in medieval Europe. There was no hierarchical system of lords and vassals engaged in a structured agreement to provide military defense. There was no subinfeudation leading up to the king. The arrangement whereby serfs worked the land for a lord in return for protection, known as manorialism or seignorialism, was not part of a feudal system. Monarchies of the early Middle Ages may have had their challenges and their weaknesses, but kings did not use feudalism to exert control over their subjects, and the feudal relationship was not the glue that held medieval society together. In short, feudalism as described above never existed in Medieval Europe. We know what youre thinking. For decades, even centuries, feudalism has characterized our view of medieval society. If it never existed, then why did so many historians say it did for so long? Werent there entire books written on the subject? Who has the authority to say that all those historians were wrong? And if the current consensus among the experts in medieval history is to reject feudalism, why is it still presented as reality in nearly every medieval history textbook? The best way to answer these questions is to engage in a little historiography. Lets begin with a look at the origin and evolution of the term feudalism. A Post-Medieval What, Now? The first thing to understand about the word feudalism is that it was never used during the Middle Ages. The term was invented by 16th- and 17th-century scholars to describe a political system of several hundred years earlier. This makes feudalism a post-medieval construct. Theres nothing inherently wrong with constructs. They help us understand alien ideas in terms more familiar to our modern thought processes. The phrases Middle Ages and medieval are constructs, themselves. (After all, medieval people didnt think of themselves as living in a middle age they thought they were living in the now, just like we do.) Medievalists may not like the way the term medieval is used as an insult, or how absurd myths of past customs and behavior are commonly attributed to the Middle Ages, but most are confident that the use of middle ages and medieval to describe the era as in between the ancient and early modern eras is satisfactory, however fluid the definition of all three time frames may be. But medieval has a fairly clear meaning based on a specific, easily-defined viewpoint. Feudalism cannot be said to have the same. In 16th  century France,  Humanist  scholars grappled with the history of Roman law and its authority in their own land. They examined, in depth, a substantial collection of Roman law books. Among these books was something called the  Libri Feudorum- the Book of Fiefs. The  Libri Feudorum  was a compilation of legal texts concerning the proper disposition of fiefs, which were defined in these documents as lands held by people referred to as vassals. The work had been put together in Lombardy, northern Italy, in the 1100s, and over the course of the intervening centuries, many lawyers and other scholars had commented on it and added definitions and interpretations, or  glosses.  The  Libri Feudorum  is an extraordinarily significant work that, to this day, has been barely studied since the 16th-century French lawyers gave it a good look. In the course of their evaluation of the Book of Fiefs, the scholars made some fairly reasonable assumptions: That the fiefs under discussion in the texts were pretty much the same as the fiefs of 16th-century France- that is, lands belonging to nobles.That the  Libri Feudorum  was addressing actual legal practices of the 11th century and not simply expounding on an academic concept.That the explanation of the origins of fiefs contained in the  Libri Feudorum- that is, that grants were initially made for as long as the  lord  chose, but were later extended to the grantees lifetime and  afterward  made hereditary- was a reliable history and not mere conjecture. The assumptions may have been reasonable- but were they correct? The French scholars had every reason to believe they were, and no real reason to dig any deeper. After all, they werent so much interested in the historical  facts of the time period as they were in the legal questions addressed in the  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Libri Feudorum.  Their foremost consideration was whether or not the laws even had any authority in France- and, ultimately, the French lawyers rejected the authority of the Lombard Book of Fiefs. However, during the course of their investigations, and based in part on the assumptions outlined above, the scholars who studied the  Libri Feudorum  formulated a view of the Middle Ages. This general picture included the idea that feudal relationships, wherein noblemen granted fiefs to free vassals in return for services, were important in medieval society because they provided social and military security at a time when  the central  government was weak or nonexistent. The idea was discussed in editions of the  Libri Feudorum  made by the legal scholars Jacques Cujas and Franà §ois Hotman, both of whom used the term  feudum  to indicate an arrangement involving a  fief. It didnt take long for other scholars to see some value in the works of Cujas and Hotman and apply the ideas to their own studies. Before the 16th century was over, two Scottish lawyers- Thomas Craig and Thomas Smith- were using feudum in their classifications of Scottish  lands and their tenure. It was apparently Craig who first expressed the idea of feudal arrangements as a hierarchical  system;  moreover, it was  a  system that was imposed on nobles and their subordinates by their monarch as a matter of policy.  In the 17th century,  Henry Spelman, a noted English antiquarian, adopted this viewpoint for English legal history, as well. Although Spelman never used the word feudalism, either, his work went a long way toward creating an -ism from the handful of ideas over which Cujas and Hotman had theorized. Not only did Spelman maintain, as Craig had done, that feudal arrangements were part of a system, but he related the English feudal heritage with that of Europe, indicating that feudal arrangements were characteristic of medieval society as a whole. Spelman wrote with authority, and his hypothesis was happily accepted as fact by scholars who saw it as a sensible explanation of medieval social and property relations. Over the next several decades, scholars explored and debated feudal ideas. They expanded the meaning of the term from legal matters and adapted it to other aspects of medieval society. They argued over the origins of feudal arrangements and expounded on the various levels of  subinfeudation. They incorporated manorialism and applied it to the agricultural economy. They envisioned a complete system of feudal agreements that ran throughout all of Britain and Europe. What they did  not  do was challenge Craigs or Spelmans interpretation of the works of Cujas and Hotman, nor did they question the conclusions that Cujas and Hotman had drawn from the  Libri Feudorum. From the vantage point of the 21st century, its easy to ask why the facts were overlooked in favor of the theory. Present-day historians  engage in  a rigorous  examination of the evidence and clearly identify a theory as a theory (at least, the good ones do). Why didnt 16th- and 17th-century scholars do the same? The simple answer is that history as a scholarly field has evolved over time; and in the 17th century, the academic discipline of  historical  evaluation was in its infancy. Historians did not yet have the tools- both physical and figurative- we take for granted today, nor did they have the example of scientific methods from other fields to look to and incorporate into their own learning processes. Besides, having a straightforward model by which to view the Middle Ages gave scholars the sense that they understood the time period. Medieval society becomes so much easier to evaluate and comprehend if it can be labeled and fit into a simple organizational structure. By the end of the 18th century, the term feudal system was in use among historians, and by the middle of the 19th century, feudalism had become a fairly well-fleshed out model, or construct, of medieval government and society. The idea spread beyond the cloistered halls of academia. Feudalism became a buzzword for any oppressive, backward, hidebound system of government. In the  French Revolution, the feudal regime was abolished by the  National Assembly, and in Karl Marxs  Communist Manifesto,  feudalism was the oppressive, agrarian-based economic system that preceded the inequitable, industrialized, capitalist economy. With such far-ranging appearances in both academic and mainstream usage, it would be an extraordinary challenge to break free of what was, essentially, a wrong impression. In the late 19th century, the field of medieval studies began to evolve into a serious discipline. No longer did the average historian accept as fact everything that had been written by his predecessors and repeat it as a matter of course. Scholars of the medieval era began to question interpretations of the evidence, and they began to question the evidence, as well. This was by no means a swift process. The medieval era was still the bastard child of historical study; a dark age of ignorance, superstition, and  brutality; a thousand years without a bath.  Medieval historians had a great deal of prejudice, fanciful inventions and misinformation to overcome, and there was no concerted effort to shake things up and reexamine every theory ever floated in the study of the Middle Ages. And feudalism had become so entrenched in our view of the time period, it wasnt an obvious choice of target to overturn. Even once historians began to recognize the system as a post-medieval construct, the validity of the construct wasnt questioned. As early as 1887,  F. W. Maitland  observed in a lecture on English constitutional history that we do not hear of a feudal system until feudalism ceased to exist.  He examined in detail what feudalism supposedly was and discussed how it could be applied to English medieval law, but never did he question its very existence. Maitland was a well-respected scholar, and much of his work is still enlightening and useful today. If such an esteemed historian treated feudalism as a legitimate system of law and government, why should anyone think to question him? For a long time, nobody did. Most medievalists continued in Maitlands vein, acknowledging that the word was a construct, and an imperfect one at that, yet going forward with articles, lectures, treatises and entire books on what exactly feudalism had been; or, at the very least, incorporating it into related topics as an accepted fact of the medieval era. Each historian presented his own interpretation of the model- even those claiming to adhere to a previous interpretation deviated from it in some significant way. The result was an unfortunate number of varying and even conflicting definitions of feudalism. As the 20th century progressed, the discipline of history grew more rigorous. Scholars uncovered new evidence, examined it closely, and used it to modify or explain their view of feudalism. Their methods were sound, as far as they went, but their premise was problematic: they were trying to  adapt  a deeply flawed theory to such a wide variety of facts. Although several historians  expressed concerns over the indefinite nature of the well-worn model and the terms many imprecise meanings, it wasnt until 1974 that anyone thought to stand up and point out the most basic, fundamental problems with feudalism. In a ground-breaking article entitled The Tyranny of a Construct: Feudalism and Historians of Medieval Europe,  Elizabeth A. R. Brown  leveled an unwavering finger at the academic community and roundly denounced the term feudalism and its continued use. Clearly,  feudalism was a construct that was developed  after  the Middle Ages, Brown maintained, and the system it described bore little resemblance to actual medieval society. Its many differing, even contradictory definitions had so muddied the waters that it had lost any useful meaning. The construct was actually interfering with the proper examination of evidence concerning medieval law and society; scholars viewed land agreements and social relationships through the warped lens of the feudalism construct, and either disregarded or dismissed anything that didnt fit into their chosen version of the model. Brown asserted  that  considering how difficult it is to unlearn what one has learned, to continue to include feudalism in introductory texts would do readers of those texts a grave injustice. Browns article was very well-received in academic circles. Virtually no American or British medievalists objected to any part of it, and almost everyone who read it agreed: Feudalism was not a useful term, and really should go. Yet, feudalism stuck around. There were improvements. Some new publications in medieval studies avoided using the term altogether; others used it only  sparingly,  and focused on actual laws, land tenures, and legal agreements instead of on the model. Some books on medieval society refrained from characterizing that society as feudal. Others, while acknowledging that the term was in dispute, continued to use it as a useful shorthand for lack of a better term, but only as far as it was necessary. But there were still authors that included descriptions of feudalism as a valid model of medieval society with little or no caveat. Why? For one thing, not  every  medievalist had read Browns  article,  or had a chance to consider its implications or discuss it with his colleagues. For another, revising work that had been conducted on the premise that feudalism was a valid construct would require the kind of reassessment that few historians were prepared to engage in, especially when deadlines were drawing near. Perhaps most significantly, no one had presented a reasonable model or explanation to use in place of feudalism. Some historians and authors felt they had to provide their readers with a handle by which to grasp the general ideas of medieval government and society. If not feudalism, then what? Yes, the emperor had no clothes; but for now, he would just have to run around naked.

Research proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Research proposal - Essay Example A detailed literature review focusing on the works of Duncan Brown and Michael Armstrong (Paying for Contribution), Michael Armstrong and Murlis, H. (Reward Management) and Michael Armstrong (Employee Rewards). The Human Resources departments of various companies and corporate who are actively working on improving the performance appraisal processes or are preparing proposals to the management on implementing the performance appraisal process Initially a detailed review of the literature available on the topic is conducted. Based on these reviews, a case study is carried out for a company selected. The various aspects of the performance related pay prevalent in the company are discussed. Based on the literature review and the case study, the research objectives are drawn, both from employers’ and the employees’ perspectives. The research objectives will mainly focus on the best practices for performance related pay and also the effects it has on employees, such as productivity, satisfaction level, etc.., In order to conduct a credible research for the objectives that fall under the first category, it is essential to conduct a qualitative research. A questionnaire is prepared based on the research objectives under this category. This questionnaire is then presented a list of employers, HR professionals and experts in the field and an In-Depth interview is conducted. If viable, an in-depth interview will also be conducted with a representative from the HR department of the company that has been discussed in the case study. For the second category, as the research objectives focus on a wider population, it is essential to conduct a quantitative research. A questionnaire is designed based on the research objectives. An appropriate scaling method is used and the dependent and independent variables are fixed based on the objectives. Once the questionnaire is finalized, an online survey is then conducted to a